A Rose for Belle
by iloveromance
Summary: After the Beast was badly injured by Gaston, Belle fled the castle, thinking that he was dead. She returned to her home. In the village where nothing out of the ordinary ever happened, one day something did. Based on the 1991 animated version.
1. Chapter 1

"NO!"

Belle screamed at the sight of Gaston's sword that was pointed directly toward the Beast. As soon as the silver tip made contact with the Beast's body, she flinched

and turned away. But the sound of the roar of pain slashed through her like the blade of Gaston's sword. And still she looked away. She couldn't bear to watch the

Beast suffer.

"AHHH!"

She whirled around just in time to see Gaston lose his balance. She gasped at the sight of his eyes wide with horror when he began to teeter, just seconds from falling

off of the castle ledge to a certain death. But to her amazement, the Beast held out his paw and pulled Gaston to safety. It was in that moment that Belle realized how

much love the Beast held inside.

Gaston struggled to his feet and prepared to lunge for the Beast once again, but the Beast let out a roar that echoed so loudly that Belle covered her ears. Gaston

gasped and slithered away as quickly as possible, but Belle hardly noticed. Her attention was on the Beast. He was badly hurt and she had to do something quickly. He

was still holding onto the ledge of the castle, struggling to stand.

"Here, let me help you!" She cried. She reached for him and lifted him to safety. He was heavy, much heavier than she'd anticipated but somehow she managed to pull

him toward the middle of the balcony. It was there that she cradled his face in her hands, stroking his soft fur. As his bright blue eyes met hers, he smiled weakly.

"Belle… You came back."

"Of course I came back." She said, her voice trembling. "I had to. I couldn't just leave you."

The rain continued to fall in heavy sheets, but she hardly noticed as she held him close and sobbed into his fur.

He reached up with his paw and touched her hair. "Don't cry, Belle. Don't cry. It's all right. At least I got to see you one last time."

"Don't talk like that. You're safe now. You'll be all right. You'll see. We're together now. And everything-."

He groaned and drew one last breath before collapsing in her arms.

The sight made her sob even harder. "No! Please, don't leave me! I love you!"

But it was too late. He was gone. Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Even though he was a Beast, she loved him with all of her heart. And he was gone

forever. She cried until she was certain that there were no more tears to shed and then turned to her friends. Who knew that a teapot, a teacup, a candelabra and a

mantle clock would become the best friends she'd ever had? They made her feel more loved than any human had ever made her feel. Except, of course for her father.

"Don't cry, dear." Mrs. Potts said in her gentle voice. "It will be all right."

"No…" She shook her head. "It will never be all right! I-I never should have come here! I should have… stood up to the Beast and demanded that he let my father go

free! I would have gladly become his prisoner! I didn't mean to fall in love with him. I couldn't help it! But it doesn't matter anymore. It's too late. He's gone!"

Lumiere and Cogsworth hopped over to where she sat, stroking the Beast's fur, dampening it even further with her tears.

"Don't worry, Belle." Cogsworth said. "Ms. Potts is right. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

She tried to smile at Cogsworth, but it was impossible. "No." she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "Everything that's happened is my fault! I caused all of this! And

now…" She sobbed even harder but the presence of the teacup, the teapot, the clock and the candelabra at her side did little to ease her grief.

After a short while she rose to her feet. "I-I have to leave!"

Her friends protested at once.

"Leave?

"Go? Go where?"

"Please don't leave!"

"Please stay!"

"Don't leave us!"

"No. I can't." she replied firmly. "This was my fault! If I hadn't come here, the Beast would still be alive! I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault, dear." Mrs. Potts said, in her sweet, reassuring voice. But Belle knew better.

"You're wrong! It_ is_ my fault! And I can't stay here any longer. Goodbye." She took off running, painfully aware of the fact that Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Chip and

Lumiere were running as fast as they could to catch up to her, shouting pleas for her to stay. All of them, that is, except for the Beast. She loved her friends of coures

but it was the Beast who had stolen her heart. And now he was gone forever.

Her heart pounding, she ran through the ballroom and down the circular staircase that led to the first floor. Nearly breathless she raced toward the castle's grand

entrance until she came to the large wooden door. It took great effort to open it, but as soon as she did so, she called for her faithful companion.

"Phillipe! Phillipe!"

The horse seemed to appear out of nowhere and she rushed into the driving rain. The horse was wearing a look of distress which caused her to stroke his mane in

what she hoped was a reassuring manner. But she quickly mounted him and pulled on his reins.

"Take me home, Phillipe! Quickly!"

Phillipe took off and she sobbed the entire way. She didn't dare look back at the magnificent castle. She didn't belong there. Not anymore and perhaps not ever. She

only belonged in one place and that was home. It was where she should have stayed all along.


	2. Chapter 2

Their worry about Belle was interrupted by an amazing sight. Amid the driving rain, colorful rods of light bolted from the sky and crashed onto the stone balcony. Mrs.

Potts, Cogsworth and Lumiere stood frozen, watching in awe and horror as the Beast's body rose into the air. Was this, they wondered, what it was like when

someone descended into heaven?

It was true that the Beast was harsh and unkind, but underneath, Prince Adam was a gentle soul. And now he was gone forever. The rose in the glass dome had

deceived them in the worst possible way. Just when they thought it would never happen, Belle declared her love for the Beast, right before the last petal drifted from

the stem. It should have been enough to break the spell but alas, it was not. They were doomed to stay in their respective forms forever; a teapot, a clock, a

candelabra, a teacup and a footrest.

The three bowed their heads in sorrow, oblivious to Gaston's presence nearby. They couldn't look at him, and for a moment they wished that Prince Adam did not have

such a big heart. If things had been different, The Beast would not have saved Gaston from going over the castle wall.

The beast's huge body continued to rise until it was fully upright. But what happened next was an incredible transformation. As though swept up in a hurricane, the

Beast's body turned around and around. His outstretched paws became large human hands and bare feet. His clothing ripped into pieces, as though he was now too

big for them. But suddenly he was someone that they remembered.

"Adam!" Mrs. Potts cried. She and the others tried to go to him, but they were stopped by Gaston's burst of anger.

"What is this?" He demanded.

"It's wonderful!" Mrs. Potts declared. And unexpectedly she returned to her former self; a plump, gentle woman with a big heart. "Oh my!"

Cogsworth was no longer a clock, and Lumiere was no longer a candelabra. "What's this?" Cogsworth asked, looking himself up and down.

"It's a miracle!" Lumiere exclaimed.

"Where's Chip?" Mrs. Potts asked.

The footstool and the teacup came rushing toward them. "Here I am Mamma!" Chip cried, but then gasped as the teacup and footstool were caught up in the

windstorm.

"Oh my goodness!" Mrs. Potts cried in horror. "Chip! What's happening?"

"I don't know!" Chip replied. "Help me, Mamma!"

But before she could help him, Sultan had returned to the scruffy dog he had once been. Chip was once again a blonde haired little boy, sitting on Sultan's back.

"Oh Chip!" Mrs. Potts shouted, scooping him into her arts. "It _is _a miracle!"

Chip hugged his mother tightly. "Mamma! It's you!"

"Yes! Lumiere was right, it's miraculous!" Adam rushed over to the group of friends and hugged them tightly. "Cogsworth! Mrs. Potts! Chip! Lumiere! And Sultan! This is

wonderful!"

"What's going on here?" Gaston demanded once more.

"The spell is broken! The spell is broken!" Chip sang.

"Spell? What spell? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Gaston! Now go away!" Adam ordered.

"Me? Go away? You'll have to make me!" Gaston sneered.

"Adam, don't!" Mrs. Potts warned. "He's just going to try to hurt you! Or worse! Think of Belle!"

Adam froze. "Belle? Oh my God, where is she?"

"She's gone." Mrs. Potts said.

"Gone, what do you mean, gone?"

"She fled the castle, saying that she was to blame for everything that happened." Gaston said. "We tried to stop her, honest, Prince Adam!"

"We must find her!" Cogsworth added. "There's no telling where she went in this weather. She's liable to get hurt or killed!"

"No! I won't let that happen!" Adam said.

Gaston laughed out loud. "And just what do you plan on doing?"

"I'm going to find her!"

"Not in this lifetime!" Gaston shot back.

"You can't stop me, Gaston!"

"Are you sure about that?"

The friends were terrified.

"Adam, be careful! He's dangerous!" Cogsworth shouted.

"Don't do it, Gaston!" Lumiere yelled.

"Mamma, what's happening?" Chip cried. He jumped into his mother's arms and buried his face against her shoulder.

"Just hold tight to me, dear." She said, reassuringly. "Adam, please think about Belle!"

"Believe me, I am!" Adam replied. "When I'm through with Gaston, he won't be able to hurt her ever again.

"What do you mean, hurt her? I'd never do such a thing!" Gaston yelled.

"I don't believe you! You've hurt everyone, including Belle!"

"Once she realized how much I love her, she'll change her mind."

"You don't love her, Gaston!" Adam said. "You only love yourself!"

Gaston pulled out a sword, causing Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth and Lumiere to gasp. "You'll pay for that, Beast!"

"I'm not the Beast! You are!" Adam yelled. And thus began a duel in which Adam had an unfair disadvantage. For he was the only one without a sword.

The three friends shouted for him to stop, but Adam didn't listen. He dodged Gaston's sword again and again, remembering full well what had happened before, when

Gaston had stabbed him. He was left for dead on the stone floor of the balcony, and was saved thanks to a miracle. But now that the miracle had occurred, he was on

his own. He couldn't let Gaston live, not when Adam himself had so much to live for.

As though someone above had heard him, he managed to grab Gaston's sword and was now in control. Adam could see the horror on Gaston's face as he charged

foreword, determined to end the man's life once and for all. Killing was wrong, Adam knew, but he had to defend his honor and his friends. There was no telling what

Gaston would do to them-or to Belle. And Adam wasn't about to find out. In the end, he didn't need to worry. Gaston began to teeter and sway until he fell backwards

off of the castle balcony, to a certain death.

The rain came down in sheets and for a moment all he could do was stare into the distance. Somewhere below, Gaston's body lay on the ground. But Adam was no

longer worried about the fact that for the first time in his life he had killed a man-even in self-defense. All he cared about was Belle. He had to find her- and he would-

no matter what it took.


End file.
